Hull City Captain Lewie Coyle Relishes Wembley Bid After Win Over Millwall In Semi-final

Hull City moved into the Championship play-off final after a controlled 2-0 aggregate win over Millwall at The Den, with substitutes Mohamed Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt scoring after half-time and captain Lewie Coyle praising a display that leaves the Tigers one match from a Premier League return.

Hull created the clearer chances across both legs, generating 1.69 expected goals from 14 attempts compared to Millwall’s 0.94 from 10 shots, while Oli McBurnie threatened early, went close to a first-half opener and saw another effort cleared off the line before sustained pressure finally told after the interval.

"Incredible, Coyle told Sky Sports. It's something we all believed we could do when we finalised the play-off spot on the last day in such dramatic fashion. And then we said, 'why shouldn't it be us?' We've grafted all year to put ourselves in this position and it wasn't just a case of us making up the play-offs. We fully believed going into the two legs against a very, very good Millwall side that we could come out on top. What a fantastic performance from the lads. So professional. We've got one more special game to go to achieve what everybody in that dressing room believes we can do."

Hull only confirmed a play-off place on the final day of the regular campaign, yet Coyle underlined that the squad viewed qualification as a platform rather than a target met, stressing that the group had always aimed for promotion and now carries that confident mindset into Wembley.

Belloumi was introduced earlier than planned when Kyle Joseph went off injured in first-half stoppage time, and the Algerian forward changed the tie, cutting in from the right to curl a precise finish into the far corner before later supplying the assist for Gelhardt to score Hull’s second goal of the night.

The influence of those contributions followed an earlier surge from Hull that had Millwall under pressure, while the hosts struggled to create sustained danger, and the visitors’ patience, pressing and structure limited clear openings at the other end during a tense occasion in South London.

Below is a breakdown of the key attacking numbers from the semi-final second leg, which underline Hull’s superior threat in front of goal during the decisive match of this Championship play-off tie.

Hull City play-off final squad depth

"He's incredible, Coyle added on Belloumi. We are so lucky that we've got so many players that can come on and impact the game. We all know what that boy's about. I'm so pleased for him. He's had an incredibly tough injury but it says a lot about him and the recovery team that he's come back as he has."

Hull City now head to Wembley, boosted by a professional away performance, effective use of substitutes and a fit-again Belloumi, with Coyle and the dressing room convinced that the team’s resilience across the season has given them a genuine chance to finish the campaign with promotion.